Place: Reviews & Ratings

This place is a lot of fun- Great Lakes' beers are always good, sometimes great and the food is really tasty. If you go in the summer, sitting outside is a must.

Beer I would recommend- Dortmunder, Oktoberfest when it's out, blackout stout when it's out, Edmund Fitzgerald, burning river. Hopheads, this is not really your kind of place but go ahead and try Lake Erie monster or nosferatu when in season or branch out and try some of their awesome German style beers.

In terms of food- the old world burger, chicken sandwich on a pretzel roll, or pretzel encrusted chicken with garlic mashes potatoes and pale ale mustard. Seriously the stuff with pretzels is awesome.

Service is fine- never have had bad service and have had good service most of the time. Could be more attentive but hey it's a brewpub. Definitely a place to check out if you're in Cleveland. (864 characters)

This rating is mainly due to the great beers they make. All of them are very good and a couple are really excellent. The food was only ok i thought. The service was a little shy of ok. Not really bad but definitely not good. This would be higher if the food and service at this place were nearly as good as the beer. (323 characters)

Great place for lunch and to come and see one of the better brewers in Cleveland. Food was very good and decent portions. Beer selection is obviously Great Lakes and they had a very good selection available. Service was very quick and attentive. Good area, but limited parking. (277 characters)

I have been to Great Lakes Brewing Co. for dinner and solely for dinner and neither disappoint. The bar is small and neighborhood like which is a plus. They also have tons of fresh Great Lakes beers on tap. The bartenders have always been very good and offer their opinion when you ask it. If not, they just pour what you ask for. On the food side, I took my FIL here for dinner along with my 2 y.o. son and we had a good meal in the restaurant part away from the bar. Can't go wrong whether dining, drinking or both. Highly recommend. (535 characters)

Great City, friendly people, excellent beer, good food. What's not to like? The main bar is conducive to a quality drinking experience and the downstairs cellar is inviting. The outdoor patio on the street level is tree-lined & reminiscent of a European City. Go. (263 characters)

I have been to the brewpub at least a dozen times. The beers are absolutely world class, and they usually have something special avalable. The atmosphere is a nice mix of old style bar, lots of wood, and some brewing equipment to add to the ambience.

The food has always been good, especially their pretzel appetizer with dips...phenomenal! Pretty much all you need to have with your beers.

The service has always been lackluster. Many times they are out of certain items, and the servers seem unapologetic and not very eager to offer suggestions. The service is not bad, but I expect good service when spending this kind of money. The place is by no means expensive, but it sure is not cheap.

Overall, this is a must visit for any beer fan that has the opportunity. The gift shop is a nice touch as well, and they usually have great deals on beer and glassware. (866 characters)

GLBC! So happy that I live near this place. I love their beers and the pub exclusives are always top-notch. They put out some experimental beers in their pub; there are generally 2-3 available at all times. They host some cool events throughout the year - movie nights, beer releases, beer school, etc. Service is good, food is above-average. (342 characters)

This is a Cleveland landmark. Great atmosphere, an incredible ever-changing selection of world-class beers. Great Lakes is a perfect ambassador of the Cleveland beer culture, and their world-wide praise proves it. I have been here dozens of times, and it never gets old.

Want atmosphere? This building is well over a century old and has a history in the family that runs the brewery. The tour of their brewery (around the corner) is fantastic and recommended for anyone who has the time. Highly environmentally conscious and local-focused.

Every beer-loving Clevelander is proud to have this incredible brewery in our back yard -- the eclectic Ohio City district. This is a brewery with universal respect, and for good reason. From their flagship Dortmunder Gold, to their unmatchable Burning River Pale Ale, to their practically-impossible-to-find-outside-of-Cleveland Christmas Ale, to their unique one-offs, any beer you try is a guaranteed hit. (950 characters)

This place is the cornerstone of the Cleveland beer world. Constantly rotating taps in the brewpub to keep things innovative and fresh. Great Lakes legitimately cares about Cleveland, beer, and even the environment. On weekends, free tours run every hour on the hour. Multiple special events on a weekly basis; even a clean air bus that shuttles patrons to and from Cleveland sporting events. The food is quite good and the beer is world class. (444 characters)

A: The location was very cool, an old building with a really interesting bar, very old wood work. I would have liked to explore a bit more to see the brewing side of things and the other floors, but we were sat next to the original brewing equipment and a scale which was entertaining.

Q: Quality of everything was above average, proper glassware for the beers were given. No problems with ordering. solid.

S: There was about an hour and a half wait on a Saturday evening (kind of expected it would be busy) so after putting our name on the list and awaiting a call we checked out the gift shop and bought a few things (a sweet English style pint glass and a tulip). With 30 mins left we grabbed our first beer at the bar, only a short wait and with my AHA membership they they bought my first pint! Finally after the beers were gone our table was ready. The waitress was friendly and helpful, but a tad slow (not her fault just a busy night) In all the service we received was above average.

S/F: The selection of beers was solid, I got a German Alt (the cellar dweller), a Cali Common (Gold Rush) and the Dortmunder Gold, while the lady had an Elliot Ness and a Nosferatu (all fresh as expected). The food selection was mixed with traditional pub fare (Burgers, sandwiches, pizza) but also had a few interesting entries that I'd go back for (ribs, fish fry, etc). I ended up going with an amazing Old Word Burger with their homemade BBQ sauce and haystack fries on top and a pretzel bun (Stellar, but hard to eat it was so large)

V: Counting the free beer I got with my AHA We didn't spend more than $50 which is an awesome deal (1,635 characters)

My buddy and I stopped in for a beer or two and a bite to eat on a nice summer nite during a one day stop over. Nice out door seating area, large bars inside on the main floor and in a darker bar area down stairs. Had a few apps, which were neither great nor horrible. Enjoyed a few pints which were real tasty. Most memorable was the mango/jalapeno IPA(or some other fruit/chili concoction) which was real tasty.

I wasnt blown away but this place was a worthy and quite pleasant spot for beers and food in a neighborhood seemingly filled with quality BA craft beer type spots...

around the corner and down the block - "Nano" was also worth checking out.... (659 characters)

I've been here many, many times, and each time is an absolute complete joy. The fact that the location has so much history behind it (not just since the brewery opened), and the original bar from the prohibition era is still being used is awesome. I have yet to ever sit out side on the street or in their newer side patio mainly because I love the downstairs cellar so much - one of my favorite places in the US.

Up until recently when GLBC started distributing more unique styles, there was always anticipation of what pub exclusive beers would be on draft. Now, we all have the pleasure of getting most of these in bars or bottles, even down in NC. Their selection will always have their "fleet" of beers, plus some great seasonal offerings.

Food is good (it won't knock your socks off though) and is sourced primarily through local farms, and they give their spent grains to help feed local livestock as well. Great gift shop with everything GLBC one would need.

Seriously, this is one of my favorite breweries to visit in the country - probably top 3 - and I encourage everyone to visit this landmark brewery like at some point in their beer drinking career. (1,166 characters)

Just this past weekend I got to experience Great Lakes Brewing Company first hand! The tour was amazing; very informative and world-class! The brewpub was also very nice, with some pub exclusive beers and quality food to go along with it. Great Lakes beer has been my favorite for awhile, but this just boosted it even more! Props to Great Lakes! (346 characters)

Had lunch special, a fajita chicken with fries. Portions were large. I could not eat it all tried a few beers had the Edmund Fitzgerald porter. Really enjoyed the experience. I went twice while here in Cleveland. The a nice covered patio and tables out on the sidewalk also. (274 characters)

Been living up in Cleveland since '09. GLBC is a staple for going downtown. The beer selection is top notch. I have rarely had a beer I did not like. The bar is often crowded to a point you might not want to go in. If you are trying to sample the beers I would go on an off day. The bar is very knowledgeable of all of the beers. (329 characters)

great lakes advantage is that they already make some of the best beer in the world... imo they're probably right there with New Glarus and Stoudts as the best three east of the mississippi river.

can't go wrong with all this great fresh beer on tap. literally the worst offering is great.

The glockenspeil defies the abv and tastes amazing, as do the other seasonals.

The food wasn't over-priced, and the chipolte hot sauce with my chicken sandwich was fantastic. All my party(21 mantrippers) loved the place.

Indoor and outdoor seating... we sat in "the cellar",.. perfect for our event.

Really felt catered to considering how busy they were at 1pm on a saturday.

The Eliot ness, Edmund Fitz, and DOrtmunder are spectacular as usual. Gift shop is loaded with tons of great stuff, and their logo work is the best I've ever seen. Unfortunately they were sold out of "Lake Erie Monster" shirts in my size. I'll order online in a couple of weeks. (951 characters)

Went here for the 1st time. The brewpub was everything I expected. History, old woodwork, a bit of a surprise...a great bartender that was Irish. Pretty cool. The infamous bullet hole above the bar had a story. Food was outstanding. Beer was outstanding. Nice gift shop.

Ordered the: Wings Confit in a Soy Ginger Sauce Short Rib Pierogies with a Beef Ragu served with Micro Greens.

Washed this down with a sampler of all 10 beers on tap. Delicious (451 characters)

Atmosphere: Awesome feel. They have quite a big outdoor patio, a nice in/outdoor part that has retractable roof, a cool wood/stone basement and then the normal bar area. music at just the right level.

Quality: as great lakes is one of my favorites breweries, all the beer they have is well made. they have a nice spread of styles and seem to be equally strong at making all sorts of styles

Service: service was good when i was there. no problems.

Selection: 10 beers on tap when I was there. I have now had 9 of those 10 and like all alot. that being said i wish they had more pub-exclusives to try out new beers and just to keep things interesting. but I could never go here and not have a good drink to get.

Food: the food was the only down side of my trip here. not the place to go eat. Out of my party of three and an appetizer we were let down by all food items ordered.

Overall: Great place to go, but i think if i go back i will eat some where else (961 characters)

Great beers, good food , neat old atmosphere ( eliot ness bar in basement with bullet holes included ) service could be better. Black burgers are very good also fish bites are good to start with. Are servicer forgot half are order ( party of four people )She tryed to make it up with a couple of free beers on the house. But who wants to sit there with half of your food order,eating while two people have to wait , for their order. Now the Beer - Dortmunder, Eliot ness, Edmund filzgerald what a way to start. Then there was there seasonals beers and Bar only tap beers , great beers , had a oak barrel blackout stout there (in house) outstanding Imperial stout . Had a growler filled up with Eliot Ness ( for a friend ). One other time we went to the tapping of the Keg there ( Christmas Ale being served for the first time of the year )I think it was in November we had a large partry of people , around 12 beer people , who arrived early to settle in and grab a good table. The young college aged woman server was awful and rude. I hope she was just a temp. to handle the busy tapping of the Keg day they had in November. We have not seen Her,in any of are return trips to the Great Lakes Brewing Company (1,210 characters)

The tour was pretty cool as they took you around the whole building. It was just like a lot of other beer tours. Good stuff.

The food at the brewpub was really awesome. They had 10 different beers to choose from with a couple that weren't offered in bottles. We sat outside and ate. It was a beautiful day, the atmosphere was fun and it was pretty crowded. We enjoy stopping here anytime we go to Cleveland. (519 characters)

The best brewpub I have ever been to, and I've been to a few dozen. The atmosphere is awesome. There is a throwback, rathskeller-type cellar adorned with a couple fermenting tanks and an old school wooden bar. The main taproom features a huge mahogany bar. There are two different dining areas on the main floor. I understand they have remodeled the upstairs into more dining space. They also feature a tree lined patio on the sidewalk. The building must be atleast 100 years old, very close to downtown Cleveland. They actually do all the brewing across the street, so it almost feels like a little beer campus. There is also a nice gift shop next to the brewpub. The food is above average for a brewery and the service was great.I really don't know how you beat the atmosphere at Great Lakes. Oh yeah, and the beer is world class to boot. All of their beers are solid.If you find yourself anywhere near Cleveland, you must check it out. (941 characters)

this place is cool and the people are super friendly. Haven't really tried the food here, but the beers are great. Wish I lived closer to sample some of the pub only beers. parking blows, but you're in a busy part of downtown Cleveland. Be sure to check out the basement area when you are there. (295 characters)

There are several areas at the brewpub location in the Ohio City section of Cleveland and I did not explore all of the areas - in includes a downstairs bar, a main dining area, and a gift shop (I stayed within the main dining area). The vibe is very much what I would expect at a brewpub including the visibility to the tanks and the heavy amounts of wood for decor. It was a Monday night, so the place was very laid back but that was exactly what my table of folks were looking for.

Beers were served at the proper temperature in mostly proper glassware, they were good pours with nice heads and served promptly.

Service was friendly and attentive without being overbearing or lurking at your table - every time we needed something, we looked up and the server was there but I do not recall her ever just showing up or being pushy in any way.

There are 10 beers on tap and they represented a number of different styles (maybe the only duplicate style was there were two different porters available). Seems like they had something on the menu that would appeal to most anyone.

The food was good for pub food and I really enjoyed my selection - burger on the pretzel roll with some very good fries. Nothing super exotic in the food but solid and tasty.

The prices were reasonable and I went to Great Lakes knowing that the beers would be good quality so I was satisfied. Also, coming from the NYC area it seems like prices are always a little cheaper than at home. (1,468 characters)

This brewery makes some of the FINEST beers in the world. They have won multiple GLOBAL awards for their beers. The Christmas Ale is the best Christmas beer I have EVER had. It is a Cleveland tradition to get a 6 pack the day it is released. And now they have Christmas in July were you can go to the brewery and get Christmas Ale on tap in July. (346 characters)